As is known in the art, a chalk line end is attached to the end of a chalk line in order to securely hold that end of the chalk line while the chalk line is stretched into place in preparation for snapping a line on an adjacent surface.
A prior art chalk line 10 is illustrated in FIG. 1. A chalk line 12 is tied to the chalk line end 10, and the chalk line end 10 is hooked over the edge of a board 14 in order to provide an anchor point for marking chalk lines upon the board 14. The prior art chalk line end 10 is effective only for marking chalk lines which are formed substantially at a 90 degree angle from the edge of the board 14 (known as "cross-chalking"). Any attempt to mark a chalk line at an angle from the edge of the board 14 results in the chalk line end 10 being pulled off of the edge of the board 14.
In order to form chalk marks at angles to the edge of the board 14 with the prior art chalk line end 10, it is necessary to drive a nail into the board 14 near the edge of the board and then hook the chalk line end 10 around the nail. Alternatively, a saw may be used to cut a notch into the end of the board 14 into which the chalk line 12 may be inserted in order to hold the chalk line 12 while a chalk mark is formed at an angle. A third alternative is to have a helper hold the end 10 of the chalk line 12 while the line 12 is pulled off at an angle, therefore requiring two people to perform this operation. Such extra manipulations are very time consuming and detract from the usefulness of the prior art chalk line end 10.
There is therefore a need for a chalk line end which will allow a single operator to conveniently mark chalk lines from the edge of a board at any angle as easily as marking a chalk line 90 degrees from the edge of the board. The present invention is directed toward meeting this need.